Psychopathy: what it is, symptoms, test and treatment

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy, decreased capacity for affection and inadequate anger management. The psychopathic person tends to be very manipulative and centralizing, exhibiting extremely narcissistic behavior and not taking responsibility for any of their attitudes.

Psychopathy can occur due to brain changes, genetic factors and childhood trauma, such as sexual or emotional abuse. The diagnosis of psychopathy is made by a psychiatrist based on the “Hare Psychopathy Assessment Test or PCL-R”, in which the characteristics of the person’s behavior are assessed.

The treatment of psychopathy can be done through medications recommended by the psychiatrist, such as lithium, and therapy, in addition to support from groups such as family, friends and the community.

Symptoms of psychopathy

The main signs and symptoms of psychopathy that help identify a psychopathic person are:

1. Lack of empathy

The psychopath knows how to understand the emotional state and know the perspective of another person in a given situation, which is an advantage, as it helps him identify emotionally vulnerable people. However, they are unable to experience what the other person is feeling.

2. Impulsive behavior

Psychopaths tend to take impulsive actions without considering other people and without thinking about the pros and cons of certain actions and, therefore, they can commit illegal acts that provide immediate rewards.

3. Lack of anger control

On some occasions, people with psychopathic characteristics may have sudden and intense attacks of anger when they are being criticized or when something does not go as planned.

Lack of anger control can cause the psychopath to exhibit intimidating behavior and control over other people.

4. Egocentrism

People with a psychopathic trait often feel that they should be the center of attention, as they consider themselves superior, and this behavior can be described as narcissism. Furthermore, they have an unrealistic perception that other people adhere to them and can even diminish other people’s efforts and success.

5. Lack of remorse

The repetition of actions that threaten other people, despite showing that they are sorry, is one of the characteristics that can be found in a person prone to psychopathy.

In addition to these characteristics, psychopathy presents other characteristics such as a lifestyle dependent on other people, manipulation, short-term social relationships and repeated illegal actions, however this is not a rule for all psychopaths.

Online psychopathy test

If you have doubts about the possibility of psychopathy, answer the following questions to find out your risk:

This test should not be used as a diagnosis, therefore, it is recommended to consult a psychiatrist in case of suspicion for a more detailed evaluation.

Difference Between Psychopathy and Sociopathy

Psychopathy and sociopathy are considered antisocial personality disorders, however they can be differentiated based on their severity, with psychopathy being a more severe form of sociopathy. In other words, while the psychopath is calculating, successful and charming at the same time as being manipulative and impulsive, the sociopath is usually irresponsible, maintains risky behavior and fails to comply with the laws and norms imposed by society.

How the treatment is carried out

The treatment of psychopathy is carried out by a psychiatrist, who may recommend medications, such as lithium, with the aim of reducing aggressive behavior. In addition, psychotherapy sessions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, are recommended.

There are other therapies, such as family and interpersonal, that help people with psychopathic characteristics to improve their social relationships. The difficulty in treating psychopaths lies in the fact that people themselves do not identify with the characteristics, often thinking that their behavior is normal and not admitting that they have traits of psychopathy, which means they do not seek psychiatric help.